Side Effects

32 - In the Midst of Chaos

The revolution was in its second afternoon and the chaos had already shattered the city in such a way that it was impossible to break it any more. Central possessed the highest concentration of rebels and police, all brutally murdering each other in cold blood. The firearms were at their last numbers. The guns were emptied of bullets.

The Ace of Hearts, still somehow living, defended herself from a man charging towards her with a knife. Dodging out of the way, she pushed him to the ground and grabbed the knife from his hand, viciously stabbing him multiple times. In the moment, her stabs quickened, turning her less and less remorseful as she continued, blinded by false triumph. The man she was killing fell silent and his blood stained all over her. Dripped in crimson, Donnamira stood. She lifted her head, expressionlessly. What had she become?

A yell of anticipation boomed from behind her, getting closer and closer. She ducked under a long, silver blade. Another enemy to be defeated. Freeing her hands of the knife she already owned, she tossed it across the floor. Over the soaked concrete, it slid across to meters away.

From across the war zone, Ray struggled under the grasp of another officer. The officer held up a colossal stone and bashed him repeatedly on the head with it. Ray's skull bled out on the pavement.

He felt himself regenerating again, faster than usual, and his fingers stretched out to the knife that had appeared beside him. The very second he finally gripped the knife, he swung it and forced it straight into the officer's neck. Releasing the Blade, his enemy's blood splattered all over his face, his clothes. As he felt the officer's weight being pushed aside, Ray rubbed his eyes of the terrible crimson that sprayed there.

Standing over him was a terrified face. A face with pale skin and equally pale hair. The figure held a hand out to help, and Ray accepted it, feeling the softness of the hand. At once his thoughts directed him towards Tina, but once his eyes were open fully, he realised that this was not the case. Standing to his feet, Ray looked sharply into Tyche Lafayette's eyes, giving him a nod of gratitude.

About to leave the rescued rebel to his own accord, Tyche felt his sore feet beneath him begin to travel away, but a loud noise caused him to shake suddenly at how close and unexpected it was. He wove around back to Ray, who was on the floor again, lying on his back, a gruesome sight on his face. Bleeding, mangled and displaying flesh that was torn into a black hole. Car alarms sounded and a heap of debris was on fire - the result of both an explosion and a gunshot to the head.

Ray regenerated again, shocking Tyche, who sat in a ball in the middle of the street watching the ordeal. His face building up muscle and skin grimly, attaching together and holding in blood that sunk back into his cheeks. His face restored - giving an unshaped expression as if this was a natural occurrence. Tyche scraped his nails up his forehead in horror. Averting his eyes from the sickening sight, he saw the perpetrator as clear and as bright as the fire that burned behind her.

Exiting a cloud of smoke and fire, Chief Ursa Kirralain held two guns in her hands, war-ready and dangerous. Successfully aiming and shooting the masses, bringing them to their deaths. Anyone who even tried to get near her were met with a sharp, harmful bullet to the face, chest, neck, or any other body part she felt like mortally wounding.

Angrily, Ray flung the knife from his hand into her direction.

Within less than a second, it was gone.

The weapon, covered with the thickest of blood, was split into two, lying separately in the street.

Immediately, a card dashed forward, slashing Ursa's arms, forcing her to drop her weapons to the ground in agony. She looked up menacingly and wiped the blood from her new scars, standing to face who she knew was present, reloading her guns and ignoring the shooting stings in her wrists.